Category: gospel

  • Strategies I Use to Share the Gospel

    I’ve been teaching a Theological Survey course at The Austin Stone this past fall and spring, and it has been a great experience in equipping the saints to think deeply about God, to love Him with a whole heart, and obey His commandments with willing hands.  Yesterday, one of the class participants asked me about…

  • Jesus and Mission

    I’ve spilt quite a bit of digital ink over the last few months working through the reasons why we pursue missional communities, the core practices of missional communities, leadership systems for missional communities, and a variety of other practical things related to missional communities. For today’s post, I wanted to share a sermon that my…

  • An Interview with Eric Geiger

    My friend Eric Geiger did a short Skype interview with me on the topic of the Gospel and Community.  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

  • The Difficulty of Balancing Ministry and Discipleship

    I’ve found that it can be extremely difficult to continually cultivate the centrality of discipleship, or the process of selectively investing a small number of individuals in order to teach obedience to what Jesus taught (Matthew 28:18-20). I tend to think of Ministry and Discipleship in two different grids: Ministry Discipleship Reactive Proactive Low relational…

  • Soccer and the Kingdom of God

    I played soccer up until high school, and always enjoyed the game, so when it came time to put Micah into sports, soccer was a natural choice.  After a few stints at the YMCA, we joined our neighborhood league and I volunteered to help coach our team. It’s been an interesting few weeks in the…

  • Individualism and Community

    I think, therefore I am. One simple phrase that Descartes penned helped define a worldview for a future generation. No longer would humanity be fettered with group-think, old wives tales, and crude explanation. No, we would be released into the glorious future of rationalistic reasoning and society would soar to new heights. Centuries have passed,…

  • Consumerism and Community

    Consumers, simply speaking, are people who purchase goods and services to meet a perceived need. In the most basic of forms, consumption is necessary to human existence. Each and every one of us is a consumer of something. But what happens when consumption goes from necessity to pleasure, from provision to identity? Consumerism. Our American economic ingenuity…

  • Reflecting on Camden

    As I’ve been with my family through the ordeal with Camden, there have been a few thoughts that have really struck me. In no particular order, here they are: -I learned what it is like to beg God…really beg, like I’m desperate for you to do SOMETHING beg. I’ve fervently prayed many times, but I’m…

  • Good Friday – Isaiah 53

    Isaiah 53 53:1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? [1] And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty…

  • Without the Gospel | Challies Dot Com

    The following quote is from John Calvin, via Without the Gospel | Challies Dot Com. It is some really great stuff, and very much encouraged me yesterday. Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength…

  • A Gospel-Centered Reader | Timmy Brister

    I stumbled across this resource a couple of weeks ago, but neglected to post it…the link below is an excellent compilation of Gospel-centered resources from Timmy Brister.  Give it a look! A Gospel-Centered Reader Timmy also just posted a links to Soma Community’s resources of “Living Inside the Gospel Story” here.  I’m planning on doing…